07/04/2026
🐝 FOUR DAYS LEFT TO APPLY!
OPEN CALL: URBAN CROSS-POLLINATION, TARTU, 17-19 APRIL. 🐝
The first ever building on the Aparaaditehas site appears on a map from 1870. The first industrial spaces built in the early 20th century likely housed smithy operations. During the post-war Soviet occupation, the area was semi-closed and theories abound as to exactly what was produced here, but it was likely a mix of space rocket and submarine parts, refrigeration equipment and other civilian apparatuses. In the 1970s, the factory provided employment for almost 1,500 people, had its own health centre, canteen, and even a resident artist.
Today, the former Apparatus Factory functions as a Cultural Factory, housing creative businesses, galleries, small enterprises and restaurants – all inside a residential quarter. The pool and health centre are gone, but its plastic-granuled mosaic walls by artist Mark Kalpin still exist.
The area is expected to evolve rapidly in the coming years. As new developments bring more people, ideas and business interest, we will gather to ask:
/ What are the local needs, ambitions and potential future scenarios for the district?
/ How can artistic methods and cross-sectoral dialogue meaningfully shape these visions?
We are inviting artists, urbanists, academics, local entrepreneurs and community members to join us for a 3-day workshop to collectively map ideas for the Aparaaditehas district.
Enter the OPEN CALL by 10 April through the link in our bio.
Urban Cross-Pollination is a collaboration between De Structura and Natural State, an agency specialising in sustainable place development and circular economy. The project will unfold throughout 2026 with a second workshop in Oslo’s Grünerløkka district.
Photos by Mana Kaasik from 2025.
